German leisure-to-business carrier Condor launched its first ever London service on 1 April, touching down at Gatwick with a new three-times-daily link to Frankfurt.
The route, confirmed last November, gives corporate travellers another option on one of Europe’s busiest business corridors and ends Condor’s long absence from the capital’s airports.
The Frankfurt service arrived days after Air France resumed flying from Gatwick for the first time in three decades. The French flag carrier’s twice-daily connection to Paris Charles de Gaulle, which began on 29 March, is operated by its Airbus A220 fleet, an aircraft increasingly favoured on short-haul routes for its fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.
Together, the two launches hand Gatwick travellers direct access to major European hub airports that unlock onward connections across the continent, the Middle East and beyond.
The pair are part of a broader wave of new operators at the UK’s second-largest airport. Eurowings, Romanian carrier Animawings and leisure specialist Jet2 have also begun services this year, bringing the tally of fresh airlines at Gatwick to five since January. AirAsia X, Air Arabia, Beijing Capital Airlines and Pegasus are all expected to follow in the coming weeks, further widening the airport’s long-haul and low-cost network.
For business travellers who have traditionally defaulted to Heathrow, the expanding route map and growing carrier competition at Gatwick may warrant a second look, particularly for those based south of London or seeking to avoid the scrum of the UK’s busiest hub.
